I know it sounds stupid but having had other medical problems and being messed around for years i'm really nervous about going to my doctor and saying "I think I have ADD". Especially as a lot of the time me or my mum would be suggesting stuff to my doctor that it could be (which eventually led to my being diagnosed earlier this year).

I've always thought I was just stupid or lazy...my inability to concentrate on any schoolwork, constantly forgetting what someone just told me to do, losing things constantly. Even through this forum today I had to red things over and over or would get distracted and skip through things lol.

Anyone got any advice? Hugely appreciated thank you :)

Hi beckybemused, and welcome to the forums.

I can relate very well to what you described about being nervous about telling your Dr that you think you have ADHD.

When I finally told my Dr, I was at my wits end after having been "messed around for years" as you put it, by so many other Dr's. I was always misdiagnosed, and I had just about lost all faith that I would ever get any medical help. In fact a couple of years before I was diagnosed with ADHD I herniated a couple of disc in my lower back, and I was off my feet for months. After getting an MRI I went to see a Dr to try and get some pain medication that was stronger than the OTC stuff I had been using, and she screamed at me saying "I'm not gonna give you any narcotics mister!" I was crushed. I was not interested in narcotics, I was just interested in something/anything to relieve my pain. The fact that she did not believe me about my pain after seeing an MRI caused me to actually hate the medical profession to the core of my being for quite awhile.

So, eventually I began the process to see if I might have ADHD, and I met with various psychologist and took several test etc. All of that eventually led me to the psychiatrist that I still have today. By the time I finally got to see the psychiatrist about the possibility of me having ADHD, I was sure there was no way in heck that he would believe me based on my previous experience with the back pain Dr. In my mind I was convinced that since there were no MRI's or X-rays that could prove that I had ADHD, that any attempt on my part to find out if I had ADHD would most likely be mistaken for drug seeking behaviour just like what happend to me when I hurt my back and went to a Dr for help.

Well I was wrong, and I was prescribed Ritalin. I remember telling my psychiatrist I was shocked that he was going to help me out as he was writing the prescition, and I remember him saying, "you know this is only for a one month supply, it's not like your getting a million pills here." That was the beginning of a wonderful journey of self discovery for me.

I would suggest that you let your Dr know just how nervous you are/have been about seeking a diagnosis for ADHD due to how misdiagnosed you have been over the years, and I hope you keep us posted.

Thanks :) My problem is just i'm gonna be seeing the same person that I saw in the past to do with my health problems (and as a consequence of stress over that depression and stuff). There is one doctor there (who so far I haven't seen too often yet lol) and so far she has been extremely supportive. I just know that a lot of doctors resent people finding things online etc when looking for answers to anything that's wrong so if i'm saying that I found out all this online then they may get a bit annoyed.

I can only get help with this though if I try...

I can only get help with this though if I try...


This sounds pretty logical to me.

All doctors are different that is why when I find a good one I do all with in my power to stick with them because they are hard to find.


After getting an MRI I went to see a Dr to try and get some pain medication that was stronger than the OTC stuff I had been using, and she screamed at me saying "I'm not gonna give you any narcotics mister!" I was crushed. I was not interested in narcotics, I was just interested in something/anything to relieve my pain. The fact that she did not believe me about my pain after seeing an MRI caused me to actually hate the medical profession to the core of my being for quite awhile.


Pain management has taken a turn for the better over the past couple of years and thankfully they have come out with pretty decent pain medications that are non-narcotic. I prefer non-narcotic because most narcotic ones are opioid and they tend to wind me up. . . .. I am hyper active I don't need wind up pills. :eyebrow:

Any ho had a doctor talked to me like that my response would have been of the un-printable variety. Being around doctors and nurses most of my life probably would have made me rather difficult for her to contend with . . . . she would have been getting a ladder to see the knees of an ant. . . . . :eek: